Study of the effect of light on a profile head (facsimile)
1487-90
Black chalk, pen and ink on paper, 203 x 143 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
Rilievo is the soul and the highest goal of painting, it says in the book on painting. Leonardo made a very precise study of the distribution of light and shade. In the drawing he shows clearly the gradation of light on the face when it comes from a single source above. This page is considered to be an early indication of the preparation of a theoretical treatise on painting.
